Province of In the House of Representatives Jany 1st 1771. The New Hampshr) within Petition being Considered and appearing Reasonable Voted, That the Petitioners have liberty to Bring in a Bill for the purpose mentioned in the Petition M. Weare, Clr. The Deposition of John McCalley of Lawful Eage testifyeth and sayes, that to his certain Knowledge that the Road through the Society Land so called leading to Hillsborough was cut out at the Cost of the Inhabitants of said Hillsborough. June the 18th 1770. Province of John McCalley. June the 18th 1770. Then the above named John New Hampshire} M'Calley Personally appeared and after Due caution and careful Examination made a solemn oath to the truth of the above Deposition by him signed to be used at the General Court of the Provence aforesaid in behalf of the Petition that the Inhabitants of Hillsborough has prefered to said General Cort, Praying that the Road through the Society land may be made Good at the cost of the owners of said land. Before, William Clark, Jus. Peace. The Deposition of John Gibson of Lawful Eage testifyeth and says that he helped to clear out the Road through the Society land so called that leads to Hillsborough and that it was done at the cost of the Inhabitants of said Hillsborough (1). June the 18th 1770. John Gibson. June the 18th 1770, then the above named John New Hampshire} Gibson Personalley appeared and after Duc caution and carefull Examination made solemn oath to truth of the above Deposition by him signed to be used at the General Cort of the Provence aforesaid in behalf of a Petition that the inhabitants of Hillsborough has prefered to said General Cort Praying that the Road through the Society land leading to Hillsborough may be made good at the cost of the owners of said Land. Before William Clark, Jus. Peace. (1) The above depositions were to be used in behalf of the foregoing petition for roads. ED. Petition for an Act of Incorporation. To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Captain General, Governor and commander in chief In and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, And to the Honourable his Majestys Council of said Province. The Petition of the subscribers Inhabitants of a Township called Hillsborough in the Province aforesaid, Humbly sheweth, That we have been subjected to the payment of Province & County Taxes as fully as the inhabitants of towns in this Province, but have not enjoyed equal priviledges. are humbly of opinion that, Collecting of Taxes would be facilitated to us, good order maintained, the culture of our land Encouraged, and many inconveniences removed and good purposes answered by an incorporation. Therefore we pray that said Township Butted and Bounded as follows viz. Beginning at the Southeast corner of a Beach Tree marked 7, from thence South Eighty four degrees & 30 minutes west about six miles by the Society Lands so called to a Beach tree marked 7 & 8, from thence north fifteen degrees West about six miles by comon Land so called to a Beach Tree marked 7 & 8 from thence North Eighty four degrees & 30 minutes East about six miles to a Beach tree marked 7, from thence about six miles by the Town of Henniker to the Bounds first mentioned may be erected and incorporated a Body politic infranchised with the same powers & Priviledges that other Towns in this Province have & enjoy. And your Petitioners as in Duty bound will ever Pray. Jonathan Duren Archibald Taggart William Clark William Jones Benjamin Lovejoy Jr Alexander McClintock Petition of John Hill in behalf of Hillsborough and Peterborough, for protection from the Indians. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Capt General & Governor in Chief in & over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire, To the Honble his Majesties Council & House of Representatives in General Court Assembled. Jn Hill in behalf of himself & the other proprietors of a Township N° 7, in the line of Towns commonly called Hillsborough & another Township called Peterborough both in the Province of New Hampshire, humbly shews That your Petitioners & the other s proprietors have been at great Charge & Expence in settling & bringing forward ye sd Townships to their present circumstances, there being near 40 familys that would now be in Each of s Towns but are discouraged by the danger of an Indian War, & are now ready to go on if they can be protected in their settlement. Wherefore your Petitioner in behalf of himself & the other proprietors pray in Consideration of the great Expence they have been at in these settlements and the manifest advantage that will accrue to this Province from them, that being Frontier Towns they may be Defended & protected by this Government as Your Excellency & Houn's shall seem meet & your Petitioners shall ever pray &c. Indorsed, "John Hills, Petition 1744." JOHN HILL. HINSDALE. [This town was originally part of Northfield, Ms., from which it was separated when the boundary line was established in 1741. It was incorporated by charter, Sept. 3, 1753. ED.] Petition of Col. Ebenezer Hinsdale in behalf of Northfield. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Captain General, Governor & Commander in Chief in & over His Majestys Province of New Hampshire and the Honorable His Majestys Council for said Province. The Humble Petition of Ebenezer Hinsdale of Northfield in said Province Esq' In behalf of himself & others Proprietors of the Land in said Place a List of whose names is herewith presented, Shews, That they & those under whom they claim said Land have possessed & Improved the same upwards of Seventy years having first entered thereon under a Grant of the Government of the Massachusetts Bay & have in that time Encounter'd all the Difficulties of the Indian Wars & Struggled with other hardships Incident to Frontier settlements begun in the wilderness remote from cultivated Lands: That they have Improv'd the same to a Considerable Degree by reason whereof the said place is not only of great advantage to the settlers but useful to the Government wherein it is situate in many Respects too obvious to need enumerating, whereby they have som Just pretensions to such Favours as may be granted by the Government to any of his Majestys Good Subjects & with regard to such as have relation to this settlement to be prefer'd to any others: That if no Legal title to the said Lands can be derived to the Grantees under the Governm' of the Massachusetts, yet by virtue of such a Long Seizin in a Country so exposed where the Difficulty of Improving of Lands has been vastly beyond what it is near other settlements where the settlers have with a resolution & Courage scarce Parallell'd Maintain'd their Possessions against all Discouragements & made an useful settlement now in a condition to succour the neighbouring Infant Plantations they seem to have a Legal Right to hold the same Exonerated from all other Duty, than what Loyal Subjects owe to their Prince & the Government under which they live For they have Purchased the Estates they claim here at a Dear Rate upon a just Computation at Least they Humbly Conceive it must be allow'd that in Equity they ought so to Enjoy them: Wherefore they pray That your Excellency would be pleased to Incorporate the settlers upon & the Lands called Northfield within the Province of New Hampshire in consideration of the Premises with other particular Tracts laid out for farms to Particular persons (whose names are Distinguished in said List) adjacent there unto, Into a Township & Invest them with the Rights & Privileges which other Towns Enjoy in said Province if your Excellency & Honours can by any means grant the same But if not that you would be Pleased to grant the said Lands & Farms to the said Claimers in Proportion & according to their Respective claims with such other Lands not claimed to such Persons as you shall Judge proper and Incorporate the whole as aforesd as that will greatly Facilitate the Further Cultivation & Improvement of said Lands and your Petitioners in Duty Bound shall ever pray &c. EBENEZER HINSDALE. [No date.] Petition of Proprietors and claimers of land in Northfield south of the Province line. Province of New Hampshire To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq. Governour & Commander in Chief in & over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire & to the Honble his Majesties Council for s Province: The Petition of the Proprietors claimers of Land lying within his Majesties Province aforesaid heretofore Part of the Propriety & Town of Northfield as the same was granted by the Province of the Massats Bay but by the dividing Line of the Province now falls to the North of the said Dividing Line, Humbly shews that your Petitioners have long esteemed the sa Tract of Land their own Property but being informed by your Excellcy and Honours that the same is his Majesties to be granted to such of his subjects as are desirous to take a grant upon his Majesties Terms Conditions & Reservations, We Humbly pray that we may have a grant of the same so as not to interfere or destroy our former survey & laying out, which we hope considering our long Possession & the great Charge & cost we have been at in defending the same will give us the Preference to any others of his Majesties subjects and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever pray Aug 29th 1753. Ebenezer Alexander Jonathan Belding Samuel Hunt Isaac Mattoon Nathl Mattoon Ebenezer Severance Daniel Brooks Saml Merriman Ebenr Field, Jr Moses Field Paul Field Joshua Lyman Zeb'dh Stebbins Thos Stebbins Hezekiah Stratton Ebenezer Stratton Samuel Stratton John Stratton Eleazer Stratton Hezekiah Stratton Jr Nathl Dickinson's Heirs Moses Dickinson Nathl Dickinson Willm Orvis Stephen Belding Asahel Burts, Heirs Aaron Burt Abraham Elgar Joseph Alexander Saml Root Simeon Alexander John Hollon Joshua Holtons, Heirs Jonathan Morton Gains Field Saml Ashley Philip Mattoon Israel Warner Ebenr Warner Eleazer Patterson Samuel Holton Moses Evans Randel Evens Lydia Doolittle Amzi Doolittle Hezh Elmer Daniel Elmer |